How Giorgi Mamardashvili and Giovanni Leoni Fared on Their Liverpool Debuts

Giorgi Mamardashvili and Giovanni Leoni made their debuts for Liverpool in Tuesday night’s 2-1 win over Southampton.

Goalkeeper Mamardashvili, a £29 million signing from Valencia, played the full 90 minutes as the Reds edged past Championship opposition at Anfield to reach round four of the Carabao Cup.

Teenage centre-back Leoni, who joined the club in a £26m move from Parma last month, also started the game but he was taken off on a stretcher in the 81st minute.

Liverpool won the tie thanks to strikes from Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, who was sent off after picking up a second yellow card for celebrating his goal by removing his shirt.

Giovanni Leoni suffers injury blow on Liverpool debut

Leoni’s Liverpool debut was going well. The 18-year-old completed more interceptions (three) and more clearances (six) than any of his teammates. He also completed 96.7% of his 91 passes.

But his first appearance for his new club ended on a sour note, after he fell awkwardly when making a strong challenge near the touchline.

Speaking after the match, Slot told LiverpoolFC.com: “Of course, he is down because for him it didn’t feel good immediately, but this is something now we have to assess.

“Normally these things don’t happen in five to 10 minutes and you have to wait for tomorrow to see how he comes in and then maybe do an MRI scan to know more about how serious it is.

“Normally the emotions of a player tell you a lot. I saw during the weekend a player in the Dutch Eredivisie who went out completely in tears – Ruben van Bommel, by the way, of PSV – and a day later it proved to be that it was right.

“Let’s hope for the best.”

Giorgi Mamardashvili impresses on Liverpool debut

Mamardashvili was called into action twice in the first half against Southampton and he responded with a pair of strong saves.

His performance drew praise from fans on social media, including one who tweeted: “Giorgi Mamardashvili, we are so lucky to have a top No.2 goalkeeper. The wall.”

Another added: “I really like Giorgi Mamardashvili”, while a third Reds fan wrote: “Great performance, fast distribution, looked commanding throughout and solid shot-stopping. Very, very promising.”

Arne Slot says Liverpool debutants both “had a good game”

During his post-match interview with ITV, Slot said of the team: “Not our best performance. You can expect that if you play a complete new team. So many players that haven’t played for a long time.”

But discussing individuals, Slot continued: “There were positives, Giorgi Mamardashvili had a good game, Federico Chiesa and Giovanni Leoni had a good game. A first goal for Alexander and another from Hugo.

“Positives from the game but how we played as a team – not taking anything away from Southampton because they played well – it wasn’t our best performance.”

Liverpool fans hoping Leoni injury is not serious

Leoni made a big impression before his injury blow.

One supporter wrote after the match: “Leoni was one of our smartest signings of the summer. He can fill into [Ibrahima] Konate’s spot as needed, is learning from [Virgil] Van Dijk and will eventually become his replacement, and he’s already showing very good talent at just 18. This kid is going to be special.”

Another fan added: “Tell me Leoni’s injury isn’t serious, I’m begging man. He looked so good and was great on the ball, I didn’t think he’d be as fast as he is either, gem of a signing.”

A different Reds fan said: “That Leoni injury dampened my mood man. It was his first start and was doing well then this happens.”